960 AGRICULTURAX BOTAXY, CHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF PLANTS 



tains the root ends of perennial herbaceous plants as for instance the 

 species of Rumex. lyucerne and some lupins also belong to this group. 



On comparing the results of growing some cultivated plants {Avena 

 saliva, Vicia saliva and Liniim usilatissimum) on a natural profile and on 

 banked up earth, and considering that the compactness of the soil in these 

 two cases must be different, the Author is of opinion that, though it cannot 

 be maintained that the compactness of the soil makes no difference to the 

 roots, it is impossible to share the prevailing view according to which roots 

 should penetrate deeper in less compact soils. He does not however wish 

 to draw an a priori conclusion from this fact before making thorough and 

 conclusive investigations. He confines himself to recalling what was said by 

 Hensen as to the importance of the tunnels left by earth-worms for the 

 extension of roots, and he adds that a similar function is also served by the 

 channels formed by the roots of dead plants. That is wh}- living roots can 

 penetrate even compact soils fairly easily. One might, he says, draw a con- 

 clusion which seems a paradox at first sight, namely that deep-rooted 

 perennial weeds, so injurious to the farmer, may at the same time be useful 

 in paving the way for the roots of cultivated plants, which, by penetrating 

 deeper, are sure of success in struggling against drought, and best utilise 

 the nutritive substances of the soil. 



A special chapter contains a Bibliography of the subject (552 works); 

 it will be completed later. 



742 - Changes in the Chemical Composition of Rye Seed through the Action of some 

 Forms of Fusar/um. — pomaskij a. in MKHucmcponeo 3e.\uedio.i/^. Biopo 

 no MuKo.ioiiu ti (Pii}iioaamo.i()!ui y>icH(i?o' h'o.\nimema. Mamepidjbi no Mn- 

 KOJlOziu u 0umoHanio.%oziu Pocciii. Ministry of Agriculture, Office of Mycologj- and 

 Pathology of the Scientific Committee. Matter relating to Mycolog\' and Plant Diseases. 

 Part 4, pp. 77-106. Petrograd, 191 5. 



The initiative of continuation of the investigations relating to " pianij 

 khlieb " ("intoxicating bread") the intoxication being caused by the 

 products of alteration of the grain by Fusarium) is due to A. A. J atchevskij, 

 Director of the Office of Mycology, who has put forward the hypothesis 

 that not only Fusarium roseum, but all forms of Fusarium similar both 

 from the morphological and physiological point of view, may equally act 

 on the grain, decomposing the protein substances and forming a toxin ana- 

 logous to the supposed nitrogenous glucoside, isolated by O. Gabrilovitch 

 in the pure culture of Fusarium roseum Link on rye. On the basis of this 

 hypothesis the writer, together with A. A. Jatchevskij and N. A. Naumov, 

 carried out a series cf experiments the object of which was : i) to isolate 

 and further study the toxin of intoxicating bread ; 2) to make a chemical 

 analysis of the mycelium of the different forms of Fusarium. 



The present work is only the first part and contains the results of the 

 qualitative and quantitative analysis of rye grain infested by Fusarium, 

 such analysis being indispensable for further work, as was proved by the pre- 

 liminary experiments on the isolation of the toxin. The material used was : 

 pure cultures of Fusarium prepared in the laboratory, and the original Pe- 

 trusk variety of rye infested with Fusarium roseum Link, coming from the 



